Alexandra is a Chinese American filmmaker, born and raised in Orange County, CA. For her Bachelor of Arts, she attended Scripps College, double majoring in Media Studies and Asian Studies. In college, she was first interested in documentary filmmaking. So, after college, she gained experience working on four documentaries - the Official Beijing Olympics Film, Brett Morgen's Crossfire Hurricane about the Rolling Stones, renowned photographer, John Rowe's Omo Child: The River and the Bush, and ping-pong documentary, Top Spin, directed by Mina T Son and Sara Newens. However, her very first internship was with Spyglass Entertainment. One of her most rewarding experiences was working with Ellen Sandler, writer and EP on Everybody Loves Raymond, on Ms. Sandler's web series. Alexandra was the 2nd AD and Casting Associate on the production.

Alexandra attended NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Asia for graduate film school. She realized her strengths and focused on being a director and producer. Alexandra has directed four short films in Singapore, Hong Kong, France, and most recently, Orange County, CA, respectively, and has directed a spec commercial, Dove Real Beauty Sketches Asia. Her Hong Kong short, Sophie, has done very well in festivals. It has screened at over fifteen film festivals, including Oscar Qualifiers: Austin FF (WP), nominated for Best Student Short Film and Foyle FF (IP), nominated for the Light in Motion Film Award. Her most recent short film, POP! starred Emmy-nominated actress, Michelle Ang. As a producer, she's been part of productions in the Philippines, China, New York / Utah, Los Angeles, California, and Tijuana, Mexico / San Diego, CA.

The year is 1962. James Chou (18) picks up his older sister, Barbara Chou (21) from college for the Thanksgiving holiday. One of them has become Westernized, whereas the other has held strong to their culture. After a racist encounter in a nearby diner, they think their being followed by someone from the diner, but realize in the end that it's not someone they expected. The film is about family, cultural assimilation, racism, and duality.

ABOUT THE CASTJennifer Soo ― Barbara Chou

Jennifer Soo is an actress and producer, known for For Izzy (2018), Mango Sticky Rice(2016) and Division 19 (2017).

Gareth Yuen ― Robert Li

Gareth Yuen is an actor, known for Knowing (2009), Power Rangers Operation Overdrive(2007) and Head Start (2001).

Noam Shapiro ― John

Born and Raised in New York City. Noam studied acting at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy and The Pearl Conservatory. His teachers included Jason Chaet, Ray Virta, and Dan Daily. Noam has played war vets, music producers, construction workers, robbers, restaurant workers, drug addicts, and writers. Noam was previously a member of Hip-Hop group, Futuristic Lingo.

Anthony Ma ― James Chou

Anthony Ma was born on June 30, 1988 in Pasadena, California, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Scandal (2012), Love Arcadia (2015) and Before I Got Famous (2016).

ABOUT HOLLYSHORTSHollyShorts Film Festival is an organization devoted to showcasing the best and brightest short films from around the globe, advancing the careers of filmmakers through screenings, networking events, and various panel and forums. The Oscar Qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival showcases the top short films produced 40- minutes or less. Categories include Short Animation, Short Live Action, Short Documentary, Music Video, Webisode, Commercials, TV, and Digital Microbudget.HollyShorts takes place August 9-18, 2018 at the TCL Chinese Theater, Harmony Gold Theater and other locations in Hollywood. Nearly 400 short films will compete for the festival’s top prizes. Last year HollyShorts finalists included 3 out of the 5 Live Action Oscar nominees and the winning short Silent Child from Rachel Shenton and Chris Overton. This year, HollyShorts received an all-time record 5,000 submissions from over 80 countries. The competition will feature Live Action, Animation and Documentary Shorts as well as web series, student shorts, music videos, TV pilots, and VR. The festival also features a screenplay competition where the winning short gets greenlit, shot and shown at next year’s festival courtesy of Seattle Film Summit.